'Donkey Konga' drums up support

Levi BuchananSpecial to the Tribune

The new "Donkey Konga" defines the brilliance of Nintendo. Nobody asked for a Donkey Kong-themed drum game, but after playing it for 10 minutes, gamers will wonder why they hadn't before. Armed with a set of digital bongo drums (included with the game), players help the big gorilla bang along with a variety of pop songs, classics and Nintendo themes.

As the music plays, a line of symbols on-screen tells you when to slap the left and right drums, as well as when to clap, which is picked up by a built-in microphone. "Donkey Konga" offers a solid single-player challenge mode, where you can unlock multiple songs and mini-games by hitting high scores. However, this mode has an expiration date. You can only slam with "Wild Thing" and "We Will Rock You" so many times.

Now, if you have three friends with congas (an unlikely situation, but who knows), you have yourself a real party game. Four people jamming to "The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones is a sight -- and a lot of racket.